Skiing boot

ABSTRACT

The boot comprises a virtually rigid sole and an upper which extends above the ankle of the foot. The upper is held to be angularly adjustable relative to the sole of the boot about an axis which extends in the longitudinal direction of the boot and is adapted to be fixed in any angularly adjusted position, and/or the upper portion of the upper is similarly held relative to the lower part of the upper.

United States Patent 1 Marker 1 May 15, 1973 [54] SKIING BOOT 3,067,531 12/1962 Scottetal. 1.....36/25 AL 3,486,247 12/1969 Franet ..36/2.5 AL [76] Inventor: Hannes Marker, Hauptstrasse 51- 53, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany [22] Filed: May 18,1971

[21] Appl.' No.: 144,486

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 20, l970 Germany ..P 20 24 573.2

[52] US. Cl. ..36/2.5 AL [51] v Int. Cl. ..A43b [58] Field of Search ..36/2.5 R, 2.5 AC

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,303,584' 2/1967 Werner et al. ..36/2.5 AL

Primary ExaminerPatrick D. Lawson Attorney Fleit, Gipple & Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT The boot comprises a virtually rigid sole and an upper which extends above the ankle of the foot. The upper is held to be angularly adjustable relative to the sole of the boot about an axis which extends in the longitudinal direction of the boot and is adapted to be fixed in any angularly adjusted position, and/or the upper portion of the upper is similarly held relative to the lower part of the upper.

l 1 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAYISISYS w v 3,732,635

sum 1 BF 2 Fig.1

INVENTORL 5 WWW! Mavkev SKIING BOOT This invention relates to skiing boots which have a virtually rigid sole and an upper which extends above the ankle of the foot.

Such skiing boots are required to establish between the foot and the lower part of the tibia of the skier, on the one hand, and the ski, on the other hand, the firm connection which is required for skiing. Besides, they should conveniently fit the foot in order to avoid premature fatigue and foot pains of the skier. Because the shape of the foot and tibia and their normal relation are different with each skier, it-is difficult in the skiing boots which have generally been used so far to meet both requirements mentioned above in all cases. Either, the sole of the foot may not uniformly rest on the insole, or the upper edge of the upper may press on the tibia on one side so that the blood circulation is hindered, or both drawbacks may arise at the same time.

It is already known to place a support on the insole in order to compensate a flat and spread foot. These supports ensure that the sole of the foot is supported throughout its surface and the weight of the skier is uniformly transmitted. These supports must be made'individually for each skier so that their manufacture involves much time and expense. Besides, these supports may slip underthe foot so that the sole of the foot is again supported in anundesirableand inadequate manner and is painfully deformed.

To prevent an inconvenientpressing of the upper edge of the upper of the boot on the tibia, which upper is hard particularly when it consists of plastics material, skiing boots have beenprovided with an internal cushion, which should resiliently conformto the ankle and the tibia above the ankle and should prevent a contact between the tibia and the edge of the upper. Such internal cushions consists, e.g., of one-or more bag or bags which are filled with a liquid or gas. These cushions have the important disadvantage that the walls of the bag may become permeable as a result of damage or ageing and that the desired good lateral support of the tibia is eliminated at least in part.

To avoid these disadvantages it has already been proposed to fill the bags with amaterial which can initially be deformed and which after the addition of a hardening agent assumes a rigid shape. For this purpose, the foot must be in the boot. This process has the disadvantage that the fit cannot be corrected after the hardening even if such correction proves necessary when the boot is subsequently worn.

It is an object of the invention to provide a skiing boot which meets the requirements to be met in'practice and which can be adapted in an anatomically correct manner to the foot and tibia of every skier in a simple and fast manner.

In a skiing boot which comprises a virtually rigid sole and an upper which extends above the ankle of the foot, this object is accomplished according'to the invention in that the upper is held to be angularly adjustable relative to the sole of the boot about a horizontal axis which extends in the longitudinal direction of the boot, and is adapted to be fixed in any angularly adjusted position, and/or the upper portion of the upper is similarly held relative to the lower part of the upper. As a result, the upper and/or a part thereof can be angularly adjusted so that the sole of the foot rests properly on the insole and the ankle and the tibia are evenly well enclosed by the upper in their normal relation to each other so that no increased pressure is applied to either of these parts of the body. Any readjustment is enabled if required.

It has proved particularly desirable to arrange the pivotal axis for theupper at least approximately on the level of the insole. In a development of the invention, the'upper may be held like a rocker on bearing brackets which 'are fixed to the sole and the upper may be adapted to be fixed by means of a releasable clamping and/or tightening device.

The sole may suitably extend around the lower edge of the upper on the outside with such a good seal that an ingress of snow and water into the shoe is prevented. It has proved particularly desirable to provide the sole of the boot with a groove, in which the lower edge of the upper is guided. This will not only improve the seal of theshoe but will also ensure a good guidance of the upper during its angular movement. For increased strength, the lower edge of the upper may consist of a continuous peripheral frame of rigid material, such as metal. To enablean anatomically correct fit of the boot in the normal position of the tibia relative to the foot, the upper is suitably divided and the two parts are pivotally connected; the pivotal axis between the two parts of the upper extends at least approximately on the level of the ankle. The adjustment of the upper part of the upper relative to the lower will be simplified if the upper part overlaps the lower partand at least one releasable clamping device is provided in the overlap area.

Alternatively, the pivotal axis may be formed by a hinge, which is provided on one side of the boot and connects the two parts of the upper whereas the two parts of 'the upper overlap on the other side of the boot and a releasable clamping or tightening device is provided in the overlap area. Another adjustable joint between the upper and lower parts of the upper may be provided in that the two parts of the upper are resiliently joined on one side of the boot, e.g., by a bellowslike connector, whereas the two parts of the upper overlap on the other side of the boot and an arbitrarily releasable clamping or tightening device is provided in the overlap area.

An'embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail and by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing a skiing boot according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the skiing boot of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line III- -III in FIG. 1.

The skiing boot which is shown comprises substantially an approximately rigid, tublike sole ll, see particularly FIG. 3, and an upper 2. The lower end of the upper 2 consists of a continuous peripheral metal frame 3. The remainder of the upper is preferably made of plastics material and is secured to the metal frame 3 by means of rivets 4. Bearing brackets 5 and 6 extend upwardly at the forward and rear ends, respectively, of the sole 1 and pivotally support the upper 2 as will be described hereinafter. The forward bearing bracket 5 is integral with the sole whereas the rear bearing bracket 6 consists of a punched, T-shaped metal plate. The lower stem end of the plate 6 is inserted into the sole 1 and secured by means of two screws '7, see particularly FIG. 2. Two curved slots 8, see FIG. 2, are

formed in the cross-piece of the T-shaped metal plate 6.

The forward end of the upper is held on the sole 1 by means of a bolt 9, which extends from the inside to the outside through the metal frame 3 and the bearing bracket 5 in the longitudinal direction of the boot. The forward end of the upper can be clamped in position by a nut which is screwed from the outside on the bolt 9. At the rear end of the upper, two juxtaposed bolts 1 I extend adjacent to the metal frame 3 from the inside outwardly through the upper and into the slots 8 of the metal plate 6. The rear end of the upper 12 may be clamped to the metal plate 6 by means of two nuts 12 screwed on the screws 11. The lower end of the metal frame 3 of the upper 2 is guided in a groove 13 of the sole 1, as is clearly apparent from FIG. 3. The side walls of the metal frame 3, those portions of the groove 13 which extend in the longitudinal direction of the boot, and the slots 8 of the metal plate 6 are curved about a center which lies on the longitudinal axis of the boot; this axis extends through the mounting bolt 9. As a result, the pivotal movement of the upper 2 relative to the sole will not be impeded when the nuts 10 and 12 have been loosened.

The upper 2 is divided adjacent to the ankle of the foot. The upper part (quarter) 15 is fitted over the lower part (vamp) 16 and overlaps the same and in the overlap area is provided with a vertical slot 17 on each side of the boot. These slots 17 are reinforced by metal eyelets 18 and are somewhat offset in accordance with the location of the ankles. Two bolts 19 are held in the lower part 16 of the upper 2 and have threaded portions which extend through respective ones of the slots 17. A nut 20 is screwed on each bolt from the outside and when tightened clamps the upper part 15 of the upper against the lower part thereof.

The skiing boot is closed by buckles 21, which are known and for this reason are not described more fully. The boot is lined on the inside with an elastic lining 22.

The skiing boot can be handled most easily. When the skiing boot is to be adapted to the shape of the foot of a given skier, e.g., when the boot is bought, the nuts 10, 12, and 19 must be loosened so that the lower part 16 of the upper 2 is movable relative to the sole 1 and the upper part 15 of the upper is movable relative to the lower part 16. The skier then steps into the articulated skiing boot and the two parts of the upper are angularly moved so that these parts and the sole are in optimum contact with the foot and the tibia of the skier but do not exert pressure anywhere. When the nuts l0, l2, and 19 have been tightened, the skiing boot is stiff like a conventional, integral skiing boot and ensures for the leg of the skier the firm support which is required for skiing. On the other hand, the skiing boot is an anatomically correct fit on the foot of the skier. Hence, optimum conditions for skiing are provided as far as the boot is concerned.

It may be pointed out that the bolts and nuts may be replaced by different clamping or tightening devices. Besides, different means may be used to mount the upper on the sole of the boot and/or the upper part of the upper on the lower part thereof for an angular adjustment about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the skiing boot.

In the skiing boot shown by way of example, the forward inclination of the upper may also be changed. This measure has not been discussed more fully because it is known per se.

What is claimed is:

1. A skiing boot comprising a substantially rigid sole, an upper which extends above the ankle of the foot, means for attaching said upper to said sole such that said upper is angularly adjustable relative to said sole about a first horizontal axis which extends in the longitudinal direction of said boot, and means for fixing said upper in any angularly adjusted position relative to said sole.

2. A skiing boot according to claim 1, in which the first horizontal axis for the upper is at the same level as the insole of the boot.

3. A skiing boot according to claim 1, in which the upper is supported on bearing brackets which are fixed to the sole and in which the fixing means comprises a releasable clamping device.

4. A skiing boot according to claim 1 in which the sole of the boot extends around the lower edge of the upper on the outside.

5. A skiing boot according to claim 1, in which the lower edge of the upper is guided in a groove of the sole of the boot.

6. A skiing boot according to claim 1 in which the lower edge of the upper consists of a continuous peripheral frame of rigid material.

7. A skiing boot according to claim 1, in which the upper comprises a lower portion and an upper portion and in which the boot further comprises means for attaching said upper portion to said lower portion such that said upper portion is angularly adjustable relative to said lower portion about a second horizontal axis which extends in the longitudinal direction of said boot and means for fixing said upper portion in any angularly adjusted position relative to said lower portion.

8. A skiing boot according to claim 7, in which the second horizontal axis substantially the same level as the ankle of the boot.

9. A skiing boot according to claim 8, in which the upper portion of the upper overlaps the lower portion and further comprising at least one clamping device for the upper and lower portions positioned in the overlap area.

10. A skiing boot according to claim 8, in which the attaching means for the upper and lower portions comprises a hinge provided on one side of the boot and connecting the two portions of the upper and in which the two portions of the upper overlap on the other side of the boot and further comprising a releasable clamping device for the upper and lower portions positioned in the overlap area.

11. A skiing boot according to claim 8, in which the upper and lower portions of the upper are resiliently joined on one side of the boot by the hinge which comprises a bellows-like connector.

* a: :u x 

1. A skiing boot comprising a substantially rigid sole, an upper which extends above the ankle of the foot, means for attaching said upper to said sole such that said upper is angularly adjustable relative to said sole about a first horizontal axis which extends in the longitudinal direction of said boot, and means for fixing said upper in any angularly adjusted position relative to said sole.
 2. A skiing boot according to claim 1, in which the first horizontal axis for the upper is at the same level as the insole of the boot.
 3. A skiing boot according to claim 1, in which the upper is supported on bearing brackets which are fixed to the sole and in which the fixing means comprises a releasable clamping device.
 4. A skiing boot according to claim 1 in which the sole of the boot extends around the lower edge of the upper on the outside.
 5. A skiing boot according to claim 1, in which the lower edge of the upper is guided in a groove of the sole of the boot.
 6. A skiing boot according to claim 1 in which the lower edge of the upper consists of a continuous peripheral frame of rigid material.
 7. A skiing boot according to claim 1, in which the upper comprises a lower portion and an upper portion and in which the boot further comprises means for attaching said upper portion to said lower portion such that said upper portion is angularly adjustable relative to said lower portion about a second horizontal axis which extends in the longitudinal direction of said boot and means for fixing said upper portion in any angularly adjusted position relative to said lower portion.
 8. A skiing boot according to claim 7, in which the second horizontal axis substantially the same level as the ankle of the boot.
 9. A skiing boot according to claim 8, in which the upper portion of the upper overlaps the lower portion and further comprising at least one clamping device for the upper and lower portions positioned in the overlap area.
 10. A skiing boot according to claim 8, in which the attaching means for the upper and lower portions comprises a hinge provided on one side of the boot and connecting the two portions of the upper and in which the two portions of the upper overlap on the other side of the boot and further comprising a releasable clamping device for the upper and lower portions positioned in the overlap area.
 11. A skiing boot according to claim 8, in which the upper and lower portions of the upper are resiliently joined on one side of the boot by the hinge which comprises a bellows-like connector. 